DCSD In the News – May 2015

Castle Rock’s Flagstone Elementary parents call for principal to resign during protest — 5/30/15 (Castle Rock News-Press)
Flagstone Elementary parents and students, following the removal of a second-grade teacher from their school, protested outside the Castle Rock elementary during morning student drop-off May 29. The parents are calling for the resignation of Principal Kelli Smith, under whom they said numerous teachers have left and staff morale has fallen.

Larkspur principal resigns — 5/29/15 (Castle Rock News-Press)
Larkspur Elementary Principal Kory Moore resigned a week after a parent called for a vote of no-confidence in the school’s leader.

School survey request remains stalled — 5/25/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
Another in a long line of requests for a Douglas County School District teacher and community survey came during the school board’s May 14 meeting, but board members gave no indication they’ll do one.

Parents attempt to survey teachers — 5/17/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
An effort to alert teachers to a parent-created survey violated Douglas County School District’s policies, but the two women behind the survey are nevertheless getting responses.

State teacher survey nets mixed responses — 5/15/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
Results of a recently released state survey show Douglas County’s teachers feel safe and supported by their individual school communities, but have concerns about the district’s evaluation system.

Littleton schools didn’t wait on state — 5/10/15 (Highlands Ranch Herald)
The outgoing Littleton Public Schools superintendent said his community shares the Douglas County School Board’s concerns about Colorado’s school-funding formula, but decided it couldn’t wait for help from the state.

Douglas County School Board president’s stance on funding evolved — 5/10/15 (Highlands Ranch Herald)
Douglas County School Board president Kevin Larsen strongly supported a school-funding measure in 2010, but now says the school district shouldn’t rush to meet the increasingly narrow window of opportunity to put a similar issue on the November 2015 ballot.

Court says district didn’t violate campaign law — 5/8/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
The Colorado Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s decision and found the Douglas County School District did not violate the state’s Fair Campaign Practices Act.

Colorado teachers disciplined after students leak PARCC items online — 5/3/15 (Denver Post)
In at least three Colorado school districts, teachers proctoring new online state standardized tests this spring have faced discipline or other consequences after students they were supposed to be watching snapped pictures of test items and posted them to social media.